Chest pocket closer

ABSTRACT

It is the object of the present invention to provide a chest pocket closer tending to retain modern eyeglasses and other kinds of articles in chest pockets of garments. The pocket closer is an essentially U-shaped wire that is removably inserted into the chest pocket and fits invisibly along the inside perimeter of the chest pocket. More precisely, the pocket closer has a bottom width that is smaller than the pocket width and in a free state, before insertion into said pocket, has a top width greater than the pocket width. During insertion of the pocket closer into the pocket, the pocket closer top assumes the width of the pocket by flexing. The flexing imparts lateral tension to the top of the pocket. The combination of the lateral tension on the pocket top, and looseness on the pocket bottom, results in a pocket geometry favorable to retention of articles in chest pockets. The pocket closer avoids adding bulk to the chest pocket by not only conforming to the inside perimeter of the chest pocket, but also by conforming to the shape of the human chest. The chest pocket closer is shaped to retain itself in the chest pocket by friction and not by garment marring spears or hooks. The foregoing description suggests that the present invention tends to retain articles in the chest pocket and is convenient to use.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to chest pockets of garments, specifically to a device that tends to retain articles in chest pockets.

2. Description of Prior Art

Prior art can be best described in three parts: recent prior art, very old prior art and prior art of leg pocket retention apparatuses.

Recent prior art apparatuses to retain articles in chest pockets of garments have many good features and promise to function adequately. However, these apparatuses are not in general use as is evidenced by the frequency with which eyeglasses, cell phones etc. drop onto office floors and into construction pits. This observation compels the conclusion that other features are needed in order to bring pocket-closing apparatusses into general use.

Some undesirable features found in recent prior art apparatuses, but are not found in my invention, are described here. U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,895 to Fukai class 351/112 (2000) describes an apparatus that retains eyeglasses exclusively. Dropping articles, other than eyeglasses, might inconvenience a person. U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,028 to Siegel class 2/254 (1975) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,064 to Vosatka class 2/252 (1977) have features that prevent casual removal of articles from the pocket. A user of article retaining devices might be inconvenienced by an inability to casually remove articles from his pocket. U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,600 to Beek class 2/250 (1987) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,477,562 to Dixon class 2/250 (1994) describe article retaining apparatuses that require modifications to garments. A person might be inconvenienced by an inability to transfer the article retaining apparatus from one garment to another garment. U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,614 to Perkins class 2/247 (1993) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,286,736 to Angus class 224/269 (2000) describe article retaining apparatuses that add thickness to the garment. That added thickness is thought to inconvenience the person wearing the garment. These considerations suggest that recent prior art apparatuses are not convenient to use and might therefore not achieve general acceptance that is thought to be a necessary condition for commercial success.

Very old prior art apparatuses to retain articles primarily in chest pockets of garments do not fulfill today's needs. U.S. Pat. No. 607,766 to Riley (1898) shows a U-shaped wire that hangs by loops and spears from the upper edge of the shirt pocket. Those loops are visible and esthetically detractive. The spears secure the apparatus to the garment and might mar the garment. A series of loops forming a clasp on one end of the U-shaped wire are designed to grip a single pencil. The bottom of the U-shaped wire extends half way down inside the shirt pocket. The U-shaped wire keeps the upper edge of the shirt pocket taut and thus is said to retain articles in the pocket. The disclosure specifically mentions retention of spectacles but that apparatus is not suitable for today's eyeglasses. Today's eyeglasses are typically furnished with plastic lenses that would be scratched while sliding by the U-shaped wire as well as the pencil retaining clasp. Also, the disclosure specifically mentions retention of a book. But a book would likely get its pages wrinkled upon meeting the U-shaped wire about halfway down in the pocket. Other articles, like car-keys e.g., might entangle with the U-shaped apparatus and hinder easy retrieval from the pocket. The apparatus adds undesirable thickness to the pocket due to the pencil clasp and the apparatus' non-conformance to the human body contour. The apparatus has one good feature though, in that it is readily transferable from pocket to pocket.

Subsequent U.S. Pat. No. 674,916 to Graham (1901), U.S. Pat. No. 797,158 to Vance (1905) and U.S. Pat. No. 1,385,443 to Gross (1921) do not claim to be suitable to retain spectacles in chest pockets. Those patents change Mr. Riley's apparatus by connecting the ends of the U-shaped apparatus with a rubber band. The rubber band is intended to hold many pencils instead of just one pencil.

The culminating patent in this series is U.S. Pat. No. 1,500,575 to Curtin (1924). In that apparatus a telescoping metal bar replaces the rubber band of the previous patents and teeth replace the spears.

Those and other considerations show that the very old prior art chest pocket closing apparatuses are not suitable for today's eyeglasses, are only marginally suitable for sundry articles and furthermore are not needed for today's pencils that are usually equipped with their own retention clips. Stated another way, had the pocket closing apparatuses just critiqued been wholly suitable, the need for some of the subsequent inventions would have been pre-empted. But that conclusion is too benign. The continual incorporation of spears, hooks, loops and rubber bands projects the image that much bulky gadgetry is required to obtain a useful device. Could it be that this negative image has succeeded in halting creative progress on the subject for a century?

Leg pocket retention apparatuses to retain tools in overalls do not disclose features pertaining to chest pockets. Chest pockets differ from leg pockets by tending to form a downward slope when a person leans forward. U.S. Pat. No. 1,083,942 to Plett (1914) and U.S. Pat. No. 1,618,492 to Taylor (1927) show a U-shaped wire that fits snugly into a pocket and follows along the contour of the pocket. The U-shaped wire keeps all but the upper edge of the tool pocket taut and thus retains tools by friction only. These apparatuses are expected to function well in leg pockets for which they are intended, but would not be desirable for use in chest pockets. If used in chest pockets, these apparatuses would add undesirable thickness to the pocket due to the great width of the hooks and also due to non-conformance to the human contour in the chest area. Further, the flared-out pocket top and the tight pocket bottom would provide less than optimal retention of articles in chest pockets.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, several objects and advantages of my invention were devised with the anticipation that convenience in use, as well as proper functioning, of the chest pocket closer are key features needed to obtain general acceptance. General acceptance of a device is thought to be a prerequisite for commercial success. The present invention offers a high degree of convenience in use that is not available with prior art apparatuses. The objects, which are thought to make up a high level of convenience to the user, comprise five main objects. One object is to provide versatility by tending to retain articles, like cellular phones and eyeglasses. Another object is, that articles can easily be inserted and removed in and out of the pocket and thus keeps them handy. Another object is the feasibility, and ease, of transfer of the pocket closer from one garment to another garment. Another object is avoidance of adding to the thickness of the pocket. Still another object is to make the chest pocket closer invisible and thus non-noticeable. The present invention also offers proper functioning not available in prior art apparatuses. There are three objects that are thought to ensure proper functioning. One object is the reshaping of the chest pocket to avoid the normally experienced downward slope when a person leans forward. Another object is avoidance of garment marring features such as hooks and spears. Another object is avoidance of scratching of eyeglasses. Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings and ensuing description.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to provide a chest pocket closer tending to retain modern eyeglasses and other kinds of articles in chest pockets of garments. The pocket closer is an essentially U-shaped wire that is removably inserted into the chest pocket and fits invisibly along the inside perimeter of the chest pocket. More precisely, the pocket closer has a bottom width that is smaller than the pocket width and in a free state, before insertion into said pocket, has a top width greater than the pocket width. During insertion of the pocket closer into the pocket, the pocket closer top assumes the width of the pocket by flexing. The flexing imparts lateral tension to the top of the pocket. The combination of the lateral tension on the pocket top, and looseness on the pocket bottom, results in a pocket geometry favorable to retention of articles in chest pockets. The pocket closer avoids adding bulk to the chest pocket by not only conforming to the inside perimeter of the chest pocket, but also by conforming to the shape of the human chest. The chest pocket closer is shaped to retain itself in the chest pocket by friction and not by garment marring spears or hooks. The foregoing description suggests that the present invention tends to retain articles in the chest pocket and is convenient to use.

DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a garment with a chest pocket and a pocket closer

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional top view as indicated by line 2-2, FIG. 1 showing a chest pocket and a force diagram

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a garment with a chest pocket, but without pocket closer, while a person leans forward

FIG. 3A shows a side view of a garment with a chest pocket and a pocket closer, while a person leans forward

FIG. 4 shows a front view of a pocket closer in a free-state condition

FIG. 4A shows a top view of the pocket closer of FIG. 4

FIG. 4B Shows an enlarged cross section of a pocket closer taken at the section line 4-4 in FIG. 4

FIG. 4C Shows a side view of the pocket closer of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Preferred Embodiment

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a garment with a chest pocket and a pocket closer. A chest pocket 11 can be conventional, without modification. Pocket closer 17 is nested inside chest pocket 11. Pocket closer 17 resembles the letter U and is in an upright orientation. Pocket width 28 and pocket height 40 are inside dimensions. Chest pocket left side 14, bottom 16 and right side 15 form an inside perimeter of chest pocket 11. Pocket closer 17 follows approximately the inside perimeter of chest pocket 11.

FIG. 4B shows an enlarged cross section of a pocket closer taken at the section line 4-4 in FIG. 4. Pocket closer 17 FIG. 4 is preferably made from a single piece of stainless steel spring wire of circular cross section 26.

FIG. 4 shows a front view of a pocket closer in a free state condition. A left loop 29 and a right loop 30 are provided on top of pocket closer 17. Loops 29, 30 are sized as small as not to interfere with articles 12 in pocket 11 FIG. 1. Left side member 31 extends down approximately vertically from the left loop 29. Right side member 32. extends down approximately vertically from the right loop 30. Side members 31, 32 start down essentially straight like the sides of a letter U, but slightly angled toward each other. About halfway down, that angle is slightly increased, more towards a shape of a letter V. A pocket closer bend to the right 33 extends from the bottom of left side member 31. A pocket closer bend to the left 34 extends from the bottom of right side member 32. The bends 33, 34 accommodate chest pockets 11 FIG. 1 with various bottom corner configurations, not shown. A pocket closer bottom member 35 FIG. 4 extends approximately horizontally to the right from the end of the pocket closer bend to the right 33 to the end of the pocket closer bend to the left 34. A pocket closer height 41 FIG. 4, equals approximately a pocket height 40 FIG. 1. A pocket closer bottom width 38, near the bottom of side members 31, 32, is somewhat smaller than pocket width 28 FIG. 1. However, in free state, a pocket closer top width 27 is greater than pocket width 28 FIG. 1.

FIG. 4A shows a top view of the pocket closer of FIG. 4. A horizontal curvature 36, mainly in bottom member 35 and bends 32, 33 FIG. 4 conforms approximately to the human body contour. Additionally, bottom member 35 FIG. 4 can be curved further to conform to the shape of the bottom of a particular pocket.

FIG. 4C shows a side view of the pocket closer of FIG. 4. Pocket closer 17 FIG. 4 contains a vertical curvature 37 that conforms approximately to the human body contour.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional top view as indicated by line 2-2, FIG. 1 showing a chest pocket and a force diagram. The following forces act on a pocket top 13: closer force left 18, closer force right 19 reactionary force left 20, reactionary force right 21, article retaining force left 22 and article retaining force right 23.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a garment with a chest pocket but without a pocket closer, while a person leans forward. A downward slope 24 is present in a chest pocket 11 that is not equipped with pocket closer 17.

FIG. 3A shows a side view of a garment with a chest pocket and a pocket closer, while a person leans forward. An upward slope 25 is present in a chest pocket 11 that is equipped with pocket closer 17.

OPERATION OF INVENTION

FIG. 3 shows a side view of a garment with a chest pocket, but without a chest pocket closer, while a person leans forward. Gravity makes an article 12 in chest pocket 11 push pocket 11 down in direction towards the floor. Pocket top 13 is loose and therefore free to yield to the push exerted by article 12, but a pocket bottom 16 is somewhat constrained by being fastened to garment 10. That combination of loose pocket top 13 and somewhat constrained pocket bottom 16, results in a downward slope 24 of pocket 11. That downward slope facilitates chest pocket 11 to spill its contents 12. Spilling of pocket contents needs to be avoided by addition of pocket closer 17 FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 shows a front view of a garment with a chest pocket and a pocket closer. Pocket closer 17 is nested inside chest pocket 11 and follows closely along perimeter 14, 15, 16, of pocket 11. That closeness to the pocket perimeter keeps articles 12, such as car keys, from entangling with chest pocket closer 17. Also, that closeness to the pocket perimeter limits pocket closer 17 to contacting only the edges of articles 12 in pocket 11 and thus prevents scratching of delicate articles 12, such as eyeglasses and magnifiers. In a free state, while outside pocket 11, pocket closer 17 has a top width 27 greater than pocket width 28. During insertion of pocket closer into pocket 11, pocket closer is flexed to fit into the space available. As a result, the top of each side member 31, 32 is no longer V-shaped, but is flexed to be parallel to pocket sides 14, 15. That parallelism helps pocket closer 17 to retain itself in pocket 11. If the top of each side member 31, 32 were made into a pronounced V-shape, a person's normal body movement would work on the flexed pocket closer 17 to gradually creep out of pocket 11. The lower part of each side member 31, 32 remains V-shaped and therefore fits in pocket 11 with clearance. The top of pocket closer 17, being flexed into the space available, exerts closer forces 18, 19 to the pocket top.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional top view as indicated by line 2-2, FIG. 1, showing a chest pocket and a force diagram. Pocket closer forces 18,19 shown in FIG. 1 are also shown in the force diagram FIG. 2, along with a reactionary force left 20, a reactionary force right 21, as well as an article retaining force left 22 and an article retaining force right 23. The article retaining forces 22, 23 increase with increasing thickness of article 12. That force increase is due to a change in direction of reactionary forces 20, 21. Article retaining forces 22 and 23 tend to hold the top of article 12 close to the chest.

FIG. 3A shows a side view of a garment with a chest pocket and a pocket closer, while a person leans forward. Reactionary forces 20, 21 hold pocket top 13 taut and close to the chest, but pocket bottom 16 is somewhat free to form a downward bulge 39. That combination of taut pocket top 13, loose bottom and gravity working on article 12, shapes pocket 11 into a favorable geometry, namely into an upward slope 25. That upward slope 25 tends to retain articles 12 in pocket 11. Additionally, article retaining forces 22, 23 clamp article 12 between garment 10 and pocket top 13 and thus help retain article 12 by friction

FIG. 4 shows a front view of a pocket closer in a free-state condition. Loops 29, 30 on top of pocket closer 17 serve three functions. First, loops 29 and 30 enlarge the ends of pocket closer 17 to avoid puncture wounds to the person, not shown, using pocket closer 17. Second, loops 29, 30 prevent pocket closer 17 from marring garment 10 FIG. 1. Third, loops 29, 30 provide grip surfaces that facilitate the removal of pocket closer 17 from pocket 11 FIG. 1.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATION AND SCOPE

Thus the reader will see that the chest pocket closer of the invention tends to retain articles, and itself, in the chest pocket and is convenient to use. While my above description contains many specificities, these should not be construed as limitation on the scope of the invention, but rather as an exemplification of one preferred embodiment thereof. Many other variations are possible. For example, the U-shaped chest pocket closer could be built into the garment. The pocket closer could be coated or covered for altered appearance or for reduced abrasiveness or for increased friction. The pocket closer could be made of different materials, or could be made by a different method of manufacture such as stamping or molding. The pocket closer could be made from several parts instead from a single part, or could be given a different cross section. For another example, the tensioner could be provided with enlarged ends or end caps in place of the loops. The pocket closer could be made with fewer, or more, bends.

Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined, not by the embodiment illustrated, but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents. 

1. A pocket closer, tending to retain modern eyeglasses and other kinds of articles in chest pockets of garments, comprising: an approximately U-shaped device, that fits inside a chest pocket, having at least one part made of a resilient material, having approximately vertical side members, an approximately horizontal bottom member and means to connect said side members to said bottom member, having a height of approximately equal the height of said pocket and a shape that follows approximately a perimeter along the inside of said pocket, but more precisely has: a. a bottom width that is smaller than the inside width of said pocket and b. a top width that is greater than the width of said pocket, in a free state, before insertion into said pocket, but during insertion of said pocket closer into said pocket, said top width assumes said inside width of said pocket by flexing at least part of said pocket closer, whereby, said flexing imparts lateral tension to the top of said chest pocket, whereby the combination of said lateral tension on top of said pocket, and looseness on the bottom of said pocket, results in a geometry favorable to retention of said articles in said chest pocket, whereby said lateral tension not only contributes to said favorable geometry, but also helps said pocket closer to retain itself in said pocket by friction. whereby said friction removably retains said pocket closer in said chest pocket.
 2. The pocket closer as set forth in claim 1 wherein said means to connect said members are bends and said side members and said bottom member are made of a single piece of material.
 3. The pocket closer as set forth in claim 1, wherein said side members have their upper part aligned parallel to said chest pocket sides, while said pocket closer is nested in said chest pocket, whereby said parallel part of said side members does not facilitate said pocket closer to creep out of said pocket as a flexed, V-shaped, device would.
 4. The pocket closer as set forth in claim 3, further including enlarged upper ends at said side members, whereby said enlarged ends prevent puncture injury to a person.
 5. The pocket closer as set forth in claim 4 wherein said enlarged ends are loops sized small enough as not to interfere with said articles.
 6. The pocket closer as set forth in claim 4 wherein said pocket closer has a horizontal curvature that essentially follows a person's body contour, whereby said horizontal curvature reduces thickness buildup on said pocket.
 7. The pocket closer set forth in claim 6 wherein said pocket closer has a vertical curvature that essentially follows a person's body contour, whereby said vertical curvature reduces thickness buildup on said pocket.
 8. The pocket closer as set forth in claim 7, wherein said pocket closer is sized to fit completely within said chest pocket, whereby the pocket closer is not visible.
 9. The pocket closer as set forth in claim 8, wherein said pocket closer is made from stainless spring steel. Whereby said pocket closer is easy to insert into said chest pocket, easy to transfer into an other chest pocket, retains itself in said pocket but does not mar the garment, adds substantially no thickness to said chest pocket, is completely inside said chest pocket and therefore is invisible, tends to retain many kinds of articles, even cellular phones, and keeps them handy, but also does not scratch eyeglasses, and said articles are easily insertable and removable, 